


Silence

by SXH1417



Series: Mute [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bara Red, Graphic Descriptions of a Neck Wound, Mentions of Major Character Death, Mild Body Horror (Gaster Goop), Mute Sans, Near Death Experience, No Smut, One Cranky Edgeboy, Petite Sans, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 08:41:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16991709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SXH1417/pseuds/SXH1417
Summary: Sans had learned a lot from reading Dings’s old notes. He had just finished fixing and hooking up the wires of the machine. He didn’t realize that the most essential part of the machine was the glass... until it turned on by itself.Note: This is part of the Silent Wants series. This story is about how Sans and Red first met. There is no romance between them yet, but the beginnings of something Sans doesn’t understand. This story is essentially worldbuilding, so uh… I kinda got carried away. It’s meant to highlight the beginnings of Sans’s anxiety and panic problems, following some traumatic events.





	Silence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silverryu25](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverryu25/gifts).



> This is for a very nice and wonderful person! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> If you are squeamish, turn back now and read the tags!

Sans had learned a lot from reading Dings’s old notes. He’d left a lot of information behind after the accident. Sans had a little bit of contact with him since. He’d gotten little glimpses of his through his shortcuts and a glitched text message every year or so. Putting things together, he figured out that he needed to get the machine up and running in order to possibly bring Gaster back.

He had just finished fixing and hooking up the wires of the machine Next was a little cosmetic work, like the glass window on the front. He didn’t know how it had gotten so damaged and he didn’t want to know. Well… He’d thought the glass was just cosmetic. He didn’t know that the glass was the most essential part… until it turned on by itself.

He and Papyrus were shocked at first. They didn’t know what could have caused the loud explosion until it shook their entire floor. Sans ran to check the machine, but Papyrus followed him, believing like always that Sans’s small frame meant that he was fragile. Papyrus was protective of him and didn’t want him to get hurt.

Sans barreled into the basement door, slamming it open. The sight that welcomed him was none other than Gaster… what was left of him anyway. Darkness seeped out of the empty window of the machine, oozing blackness that crawled on the walls. Gaster himself was melted and extended from the slimy black.

Sans felt sick, having to cover his mouth and choke back bile that rose in his non-existent throat. Papyrus was equally as horrified. Sans wanted to shoo him back, scream for him to run, but he was stunned by the sight. And when his eyes locked with Gaster’s, he froze. Gaster’s look was cold, dark, and so very  _red_. It wasn’t right. Nothing about this Gaster screamed right.

He should have run, but there would have been nothing he could do against what came next. Gaster launched at him, taking his forearms into his own two before the darkness spread, gushing through and filling the room, the world with darkness. Sans was pulled into darkness, forced to stare into those two gleaming eyes.

 **“Well, well, well… I think this is very interesting… What do you two think?”**  Gaster rasped before sinking their world into darkness.

When Sans awoke, he was blinded by a dull gold. He jolted up, noting that he was in the Judgement Hall. His panic rose as he looked at the cracked tiles and dust covered floor. This wasn’t right. He needed to go talk to the King, warn him if it wasn’t already too late! Sans tried his shortcut, only to get a little dizzy from going absolutely nowhere. He opted to go on foot instead.

It took him only two seconds to get to the end of the hall, only to recoil as he spotted a dark figure in the doorway. It was massive, just like the King, but eerie and cold. He saw a singular  _red_  eye glaring down at him. This wasn’t right, none of this was right. If this was the King, why did his very  _air_  remind him of the Human? Sans took several steps back as the tall frame came through the arched doorway.

As his appearance was revealed, Sans was almost struck speechless. This guy sure looked similar to Asgore, but bulkier and with black hair and those horrible red eyes. This didn’t make sense. He wore the King’s clothes, but he had his weapon drawn. Wait.  _That_  wasn’t the King’s weapon. Asgore had a trident of sorts, this guy had a pike. Not just any pike either. Sans recognized that as one of the real Human Relics from the war. It was taken from a Mage.

“What are  _you_  doing here, Judge?” he sneered down at him. Sans could feel the cold LV radiating off him.

“i… i… er… well, that is…” Sans began, unable to hide his trembling bones. The sight made the Not-King bark with laughter. It made Sans’s hackles rise.

“As pathetic as ever...” he bellowed. Sans felt himself be Checked. The smile was wiped from the other’s face immediately. “You are not my Judge. If you think you can just waltz without warning or appeal for audience, then you have come to die. You are nothing more than Free EXP.”

“w-what?!” Sans shouted, backing away. He felt the oncoming encounter and tried to bolt but couldn’t. He was dragged back. Luckily, he was panicking. He let his natural instinct for self-preservation to take hold, allowing him to dodge the attacks. He tried to wait for his turn, but it never came. This monster didn’t play by the rules of battle. He seemed to make his own rules. So, in between dodging, Sans tried to reason with him.

“h-how about we just talk?” he tried. If this guy was anything like Asgore, he would like to talk. However, he was quickly getting the impression that this guy was nothing like King Fluffybuns. “there obviously seems to be some info missing between us… hah… some miscommunication…”

“Silence!” the King roared, lunging at him. Sans didn’t have time to dodge. He closed his eyes, waiting for impact. He heard the clash of metal and felt searing pain shoot through his throat. His eyes shot open, taking in the sight of his own king, his Asgore, blocking the attack. But, it didn’t matter. The tip of the spear slashed his throat. Oddly enough, he didn’t feel like he was going to dust. He just felt his blood and marrow boil up, choking him like the darkness had. He fell to the ground clutching his throat.

“Shit! Sans!” Asgore roared. He roared something else, but he wasn’t paying attention. Something… A foreign magic was seeping into his wound his throat, crawling through his skin. Sans clawed at it, attempting to scream but the only thing to come out was disgusting gurgling. Asgore was screaming something, as well as the other. He heard another voice in the mix, felt his soul be washed in ice as it was encased in blue magic. Gravity yanked him back between the King’s legs to the entrance of the hall. Large, hard hands encased him and he felt the tug of a shortcut.

“shit, shit, Shit! Paps! Papyrus, help! Puff, I got him -  NO, you  _don’t_ want to look. BOSS GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!” a panicked, baritone voice vibrated against Sans. Whoever held him was talking to someone familiar… Sans couldn’t think of who. He was too busy trying to get the invasive thing out of him. He felt his hands being tugged away from his wound. No! Something was inside, he had to get it out! He struggled, but the other’s grip was stronger, both his hands fit into only one of theirs. Through tears and blurred vision, he looked up at them, baring his neck to get a look, to cuss out the person who wouldn’t let him remove the parasite wriggling inside his neck.

He was met with a similar face to his own. A large hand came to staunch the wound on his neck. Panicked Red eyelights zipped across his face and his body, scanning for more injuries. Their face was littered with scars. One large crack ran through the right eye, across his nose, to a bright golden tooth replacement. And he was  _big_. His hands were the ones keeping him from moving.

He flinched as he felt the worming in his throat change. The foreign feeling of something stitching in with his own magic, forcing others out, hurt beyond belief. It was a feeling he’d give anything to not experience again. He tried to scream, but only gurgling came out again.

“What On Earth Is Going On?!” Another voice shrieked. It was eerily similar to Papyruses. Another person came into view. He barely saw them before his vision blurred. That was strange… His head felt light… Lighter than usual… heh…

* * *

Sans woke up with a jolt. He had a second to realize he was falling before he fell face first onto the floor. He groaned in discomfort, his neck stretching horribly. Remembering what happened, he quickly got up, only to be terribly dizzy again. He fell on his coccyx and leaned against what he assumed to be a couch. His brought a hand to his neck. His fingers touched gauze, startling him.

Sans let his eyes clear a bit before looking around the room. To his surprise, it was his own house. Briefly, he wondered if he’d just tripped down the steps to the basement and fractured his neck, making this all a dream. He wished… He could already pick out the differences between his living room and the one he was currently in. The carpet had patches of holes in it, the curtains were drawn and covered boarded up windows, posts on the stair railing were missing, there was no TV, and Pet Rock was missing.

Sans started breathing a little faster. He began to feel a panic attack coming along. Then his eyes landed on the other in the room. He wasn’t alone. A very scarred version of Undyne was present along with Papyrus,  _his_ Papyrus. They were both sleeping on the floor. He turned around to the couch and finally noticed the large figure still sleeping, propped against the end of the couch.

He calmed a bit. This other… version of him was so… intriguing. How was he so big? Sans had never been able to grow past 4’7’’ and yet this guy was easily 6’6’’, maybe more. He was taller than Papyrus, that’s for sure. He was broad too. Sans was absolutely sure he could fit in this guy’s ribcage. The look on his face was so peaceful as he slept, but he could tell by the familiar bags under the other’s eyes that this guy didn’t get nearly enough sleep.

He heard a door upstairs creak open. A darker, scarred version of Papyrus was trudging out of his room, in a set of PJs with cartoon bones on them. He looked tired and groggy as he shuffled down the stairs. This Papyrus had jagged teeth. His fingers were clearly sharpened to points. He was littered in scars, including sections of his left socket had been gouged out, leaving four, deep claw marks. Sans took a step away, making his presence known.

When the other’s eyes landed on him, he flinched and curled in on himself. He had no idea what the other was going to do. His breathing quickened. Shit, he was panicking again. Arms wrapped themselves around him, pulling him against soft fabric and cradling him. Feelings radiated off the monster holding him. Safety, security,  _home_.

“shh… it’s okay, little guy. It’s alright… ‘s just Paps. he’s my brother. He’s not gonna hurt ya…. shh….” That calming baritone seemed to force the tears that had been building in his sockets away. A large hand was petting his skull gently. He knew it was the other version of himself. He should be freaking out more. He had so many questions that needed to be answered. He looked up at Red and felt a calm wash over him again at meeting those relaxed red eyelights.

Once Sans had calmed down, the other Papyrus spoke softly, “I’m going to make breakfast now. Coffee?” Red nodded. Coffee sounded like one of the many things Sans needed. But he didn’t ask. He had other questions he needed to ask this version.  _Red_ , he decided.

“would ya like some coffee, little blue?” Red offered. All words dried up in his throat. He just nodded. “make that two coffees, boss,” he called after the other.

“I’ll brew it and you make it yourself, lazy ass,” the other Papyrus grumbled. Sans decided to call him Edge, from the biting edge that always seemed to be in his voice.

“wh…rrrr…-!” Sans opened his mouth to try and ask where they were, but the words never left. They caught and dissipated in his throat, never forming anything but choppy fragments. He held his neck. He didn’t feel a lot of pain from it, but he was horrified. What had that weapon done to him?! He used  _magic_  to speak! What happened?

“Shh! Shh, shh!” Red hurried to calm him. “calm down… don’ panic. please, little blue. look at me. listen…” Another panic attack averted, Sans looked at Red. “you remember what happened? tap my hand once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no’. don’t\ try to talk yet.” Sans’s hand scrambled to the one around his middle. Finding the hand, he tapped once.

“alright… so you know that weapon that hit you right? i noticed that your king doesn’t use it.”

Sans tapped once and then twice. He knew the weapon but didn’t know what it did.

Red explained it anyway. “the Pike was a human weapon that King Asgore, our king that is, stole from one of the Mages he killed. he used the weapon when punishing criminals. it… it seals magic in whatever area it hits. you’ve gotta be one hell of a determined shrimp tom survive that blow to your neck.”

Sans’s bones rattled in fear. The magic in his neck was sealed? How? He’d never heard of such magic before. Red’s other hand continued to pet his skull, trying to soothe him.

“Brother, just have him use the dry erase board. Poor bastard probably has a lot of questions…” Edge snipped in.

“sorry, bro. yer right.” Red used blue magic to call the dry erase board from the coffee table. He gently handed it to Sans, who then began to write fervently.

 _how did I get here?_  Sans wrote.

“i used a shortcut to get you here. ya’ve been out for ‘bout a day now. we were worried ya mighta been Fallin’ Down with yer HP and all…”

Alarmed, Sans checked himself. He instantly calmed down at the sight. It was normal, higher even considering he slept.  _1 HP is normal for me. i meant, how did i get here? who are you?_

“oh… uh….” Red rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He suddenly looked very uncomfortable holding Sans, like he would dust the minute he scratched him. Sans noted that he too had sharp, deadly claws. “that’s… shit. you really don’ know?” Sans shook his head. “fuuuuck…. ok… what were ya doing before the Judgement Hall? what do ya remember?”

 _explosion, machine, Gaster, red eyes, then blackness, then Judgement_.

Red read over the board over and over again. His brow furrowed. “so ya jus’ got to this universe den… well, I gotta lot to fill you in on.” Red smirked down at the little pile of bones in his lap. “as for who I am, feel free to check me, shrimp. yer not gonna believe it until you see it.”

Sans frowned, not really liking the cocky attitude, but did so. To his surprise, he was right about his assumptions.

**Sans LV 8**

**HP 160/150**

**Atk 50**

**Def 50**

***He’s you, and he thinks you’re puny.**

Thoroughly insulted, Sans smacked Red with the board a couple of times. Red burst into a rich, deep bellowing laughter that could lift anyone’s spirits. Sans crawled out of his lap, indignant and upset. He glared at the other as the two on the floor began to rouse.

“Mmh… why’s shit loud?!” The other Undyne groaned as she turned over on the floor and mashed her pillow over her head.

“Nyeh?” Papyrus peeked up, rubbing his eyesockets. He looked up and saw Sans and was immediately on his feet. “Sans!” Sans found himself swept up in another hug. “Brother, I was so worried about you! I tell you, it’s been so long since I’ve last seen you. I can’t wait to tell you about this place!”

Sans hugged him back, noticing the little, belled anklet around his brother’s ankle. That was definitely new. He stowed the information for later, planning on questioning him about it.

Sans pulled away when Papyrus’s words finally caught up to him. He squirmed out of Papyrus’s hold and got the board and marker. He wrote a question he didn’t ever think he’d have to ask.

_how long has it been? i saw you just yesterday…_

Papyrus took the board and held it close. His sight never was the best... Suddenly his eyes bugged out of his skull. Stars, how the fuck does he do that? “SANS! I HAVEN’T SEE YOU IN TWO WHOLE MONTHS AND YOU ARE TELLING ME THAT YOU SAW ME YESTERDAY?! EXPLAIN!! BUT PLEASE HAVE RED READ IT TO ME!”

“PIPE IT, PUFF! UNLESS YOU’RE LOOKIN’ FOR A FIGHT!” the other Undyne screamed in outrage.

“ ** _ENOUGH!”_**  Edge cut in. Everyone shut up. “No screaming before I’ve had at least one cup of coffee.” His words trailed off into a soft whimper as he rubbed his temples.

“Boss’s right, too early for the noise,” Red stated while picking up the discarded board. “seems like Gaster decided to drop little blue here off later than you, Puff. last thing he remembers is that basement, then the Judgement Hall.”

“Oh…”

Sans snatched the board back and scribbled another question.

_That wasn’t my Gaster, was it. What did he do?_

“nah, he sure wasn’t. what you saw might’ve been ours or some other one… from what Puff here’s told me, it seems like that Gaster might’ve taken an opportunity and merged our worlds together. We’ve been dealin’ with the fallout of it for the past couple of months... we’ve been working with King FluffNugget to overthrow our King, who was kinda a dictator.  _you_ were already there when we arrived to take him down. changed our plans, but right now, your King’s coronation is in about a month, letting everyone settle down first. things have been rough, little blue. this world… well… it sure as hell isn’t anything like yours.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think with a comment! Don't be afraid to ask questions either! I don't bite!


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